Savannah the sweet

Savannah had a little bit of an emotional week, so she and I made a trip alone to get an ice cream cone on Thursday. I also gave in and let her purchase a doll (it was a dollar-store Barbie, and it actually cost less than a dollar!).

Although Savannah resists going on the family walks many days, she does like going alone with me when she can pick the route. We had a very fun walk one rainy morning this last week, picking up lots of flowers that had fallen into the road (see the photo – all flowers off the ground in our neighborhood).

Yesterday, she and Cyrus and I took a walk and got out to play tag on the basketball/tennis court area by the park. She thanked Heavenly Father for being able to play tag on the tennis court in her prayers later. She has enjoyed playing lots of card games lately, and she was thrilled when Rich came home with Enchanted last night.

I think we all get a little drained here – although all the heat and sweating is probably good for us, by the end of the day, we’re exhausted! And since the sun is up by 5 a.m. here, it’s typical for the children to start waking up by 5:30 a.m. (the birds are up and chattering at 3 a.m.!) I have been having Savannah and Ashton take a nap once or twice a week, just to catch up. That seems to help.

Savannah does want so badly to help mother Cyrus and Jonah. She tries to bargain with Jonah, telling him she’ll give him a favored toy or let him sleep in her bed if he’ll allow her to help him put his pajamas on. She likes to try to hold Cyrus, who resists angrily most times. And if Cyrus is crying while I’m in the shower, Savannah will set him up on my floor with a pile of toys from the playroom. It warms my heart to see how much she wants to help – I’m hoping the baby to come lets her help!

It was cute – one day this week at the park we discovered another frog, and Nathaniel was able to catch it and hold it. He passed it around to the other children. A few minutes later, we were walking home and had gone about a block from the park. I looked over and Savannah was peeking down at something in her hand. It was the frog, and she was trying to bring him home.